There was an interesting item in the New York Times about historic house museums shifting the focus from rich and famous occupants, to the servants that made these huge homes run.
The new servant’s tour at the Breakers, a Vanderbilt estate, is “…accompanied by audio commentary from blunt, almost embittered retired servants and their children.”
The article continues: “A former footman recalls spending entire days just polishing brass or waiting on tables while female dinner guests ignored him. As he stood holding out heavy trays of food, he explains on the audio narration, he would imagine taking revenge: ‘You think about dropping the whole thing in her lap.'”
Anyone who has worked as a caterer in New York will agree that not much has changed.
Read the full article:
The Scullery Maid Behind the Brocade at Mansion Museums (NY Times)